Sports
Golfer Lahiri hopes to bounce back at PGA Championship
Mosel (Wisconsin): He may have finished a lowly 53rd at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week but leading Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri has said he has it in him to bounce back strongly at the PGA Championship, the fourth and final Major of the year, which begins here on Thursday.
“The game is feeling good. Bad back spasms did me in last Thursday unfortunately and I also had a tough time figuring out the greens,” the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader said in a release.
“I’ll be looking for a good start at Whistling Straits. Building momentum will be a key for me. I feel like a good week is around the corner. Mentally I really feel good, so I’m hoping for a strong week.”
A top result at the Whistling Straits course will reinforce the 28-year-old’s current ninth position on the International Team rankings for the Presidents Cup to face the US in South Korea this October. With the top-10 players as of September 8 qualifying automatically, Lahiri hopes to become the first Indian golfer to feature in the biennial team competition.
The players below him, including 2013 Asian Tour number one Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, are separated by a hair’s breadth which makes this week’s PGA Championship a make-or-break week for the Indian, who was victorious twice in February and was tied fifth in Switzerland last month.
“It would be fantastic if I can make the team,” said Lahiri, who was part of Team Asia which forced a thrilling 10-10 draw with Europe at the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia last year and contributed two out of three points.
Kiradech, who is ranked 13th on the International team standing, is also hoping to put on a strong showing at Whistling Straits.
He is in buoyant mood after winning the inaugural Paul Lawrie Matchplay event in Scotland two weeks ago, beating Sweden’s Robert Karlsson in the final, for his second title of the season.
The other Asian Tour members in the PGA Championship field include Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Australian Cameron Smith and honourary members Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Y.E. Yang, who made history by becoming the first Asian to win a Major at the 2009 PGA Championship.
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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